Formula 1 makes its return to the Singapore street course in Asia. We enter with a new drivers championship points leader and our first seat changes for 2018. Before we get to the race, lets get to some headlines.

Sainz Points to Renault

Announced a little earlier today, the first known drivers change will happen at Renault in a 3 team trade. The 3 teams involved in this trade are Toro Rosso, McLaren, and Renault. Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz will make the move to Renault for 2018 but he could possibly move there by Sepang. Sainz will replace Jolyon Palmer which will be no surprise to anyone not named Jolyon Palmer. In exchange for losing Sainz, Toro Rosso will receive Honda support for 2018 and will bring Red Bull young driver Pierre Gasly to replace Carlos. McLaren will get Renault power units for 2018 on forward. I am not sure if this will keep Alonso at Renault but it will definitely help his sanity for the future.

New Man on Top

For the surprisingly first time this season, Lewis Hamilton has taken over the lead in the drivers championship over Sebastian Vettel. Vettel held the lead since Australia but having Hamilton win the first 2 races after the summer break is not helping his cause. Over the past couple of seasons, Mercedes has had some struggles in Singapore having barely won the race last year with Nico Rosberg to having Ferrari win in 2015. If Vettel wants to regain his points lead, Singapore will be a must win for him.

The Hulk's Unwanted Achievement

Nico Hulkenburg has been in F1 since 2010 making over 120 starts. However, Singapore could be the sight of a record he will not be happy to own. Nico is about ready to set a record in Singapore. At the moment, Nico Hulkenburg is tied with Adrian Sutil with the most starts ever without ever achieving a F1 podium. While Nico Hulkenburg has been close to the podium before, the chance of him breaking this record is almost definite. Renault has been below expectations by some standards (mine specifically) but unless something extremely crazy happens, that record will belong to the Hulk.